Kenya’s Gender Equality in Education Still Uneven Despite Gains for Girls, New Report Reveals

By Gedion Nzyoki 

• A new nationwide report reveals that despite major gains in girls’ education, deep gender inequalities continue to affect access, resources, and leadership across Kenya’s education system.
• The findings highlight growing concerns over vulnerable learners, including teenage mothers, children with disabilities, and students in underserved school environments
• The report also exposes major disparities in learning facilities, with boys’ schools found to have better access to laboratories, libraries, ICT resources, and a wider range of examinable subjects compared to girls’ and mixed schools

NAIROBI, Kenya | May 12, 2026 — Kenya has made notable progress in expanding access to education and improving learning outcomes for girls, but deep gender inequalities continue to persist across the country’s education system, according to a new 2026 Gender Report released by Usawa Agenda on Tuesday at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

Usawa Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel Manyasa giving his remarks during the release of the 2026 Gender Report. Photo: Usawa Agenda (Facebook).

The report, titled “What is the State of Gender Equality in Our Basic Education? Facts and Figures for Gender Transformative Education in Kenya and Beyond,” presents a mixed picture of progress alongside persistent structural barriers affecting learners across primary, junior, and senior schools.

According to the findings, girls are now outperforming boys in foundational literacy and numeracy at the primary school level, while also recording higher enrolment rates in primary education. 

However, inequalities in school resources, leadership representation, menstrual hygiene support, and teenage pregnancy continue to undermine efforts toward achieving gender-transformative education.

The report identifies out-of-school girls as one of the most vulnerable groups, revealing that a teenage girl who is out of school is 12 times more likely to experience early pregnancy than her in-school counterpart.

“Gender disparities in education remain evident in access, learning outcomes, school resources, and leadership,” the report states.

The nationwide survey was conducted across all 47 counties in 2025 and involved more than 41,000 households, 1,527 primary and comprehensive schools, and 1,194 senior schools. More than 49,000 children participated in literacy and numeracy assessments.

The report found that although only five percent of school-going children nationally are out of school, the situation is significantly worse within refugee communities, where nearly one in five school-age children are not enrolled in school.

Nationally, more boys than girls are out of school. However, among refugee communities, girls are disproportionately affected.

Children with disabilities were also found to face severe exclusion from education, with children living with mental disabilities identified as the most vulnerable group. More than one-third of children with mental disabilities are out of school, while girls with autism and mental disabilities face even greater exclusion compared to boys.

At the senior school level, the report exposes major inequalities in learning resources between boys’, girls’, and mixed schools.

Boys’ schools were found to be better equipped with laboratories, libraries, ICT resources, playgrounds, and computer facilities compared to girls’ and mixed schools. Nearly two-thirds of boys’ schools offer at least 12 examinable KCSE subjects, compared to just over half of girls’ schools and only 19 percent of mixed schools.

The report further reveals that boys’ schools are significantly more likely to have chemistry, biology, and physics laboratories than girls’ schools.

“These disparities in learning environments continue to limit equal opportunities and future career pathways for learners,” the report notes.

The findings also highlight gender imbalances within the teaching profession and school leadership.

Women make up the majority of teachers at lower education levels, accounting for 58 percent of primary school teachers and 51 percent of junior school teachers. However, their representation declines sharply in leadership positions and senior school teaching roles.

Only 33 percent of primary school headteachers are women, while women account for just 14 percent of Boards of Management chairpersons in primary schools.

At the senior school level, only 43 percent of teachers are women, with male teachers dominating STEM subjects such as mathematics and physics.

The report also raises concern over inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities in schools.

While more than 80 percent of primary schools provide sanitary towels, only about one-quarter offer changing or bathing facilities for girls. In senior schools, only one in 10 schools provides bath or changing rooms for female learners.

Teenage pregnancy emerged as one of the biggest threats to girls’ education.

The report found that Nairobi recorded the highest reported teenage pregnancy rate at 2.5 percent, followed by the Nyanza Region and Rift Valley Region regions.

More than half of girls who become pregnant while in school eventually return after childbirth, but stigma remains the biggest barrier preventing many from resuming their education.

“Stigma is still the main obstacle preventing many victims of teenage pregnancy from returning to school,” the report states.

The study further found that mixed senior schools recorded a higher prevalence of teenage pregnancy compared to girls’ schools, with girls in mixed schools being more than twice as likely to become pregnant.

The report calls for stronger implementation of gender-transformative policies, equitable allocation of resources across schools, improved support systems for teenage mothers, and increased representation of women in school leadership positions.

It also urges the government to review and strengthen the Education and Training Sector Gender Policy, arguing that the current framework has not adequately addressed the structural barriers limiting genuine gender equality in education.

Despite progress in enrolment and learning outcomes, the report concludes that Kenya’s education system has not yet achieved equitable and empowering education for all learners.

“Persistent inequalities in resources, leadership, school environments, and broader social conditions continue to limit the system’s ability to provide just, equitable, and empowering education for all learners,” the report concludes.

Also in attendance were Chalan Foundation Chief Executive Officer Margret Koske, Hon. Abdul Haro, a representative of the National Assembly Education Committee, as well as officials from government, development, and private sector organizations.

With the release of the latest report, the ball has once again been thrown into the government’s court, particularly the Ministry of Education, to intervene and ensure gender equality in education across the country.